SPHHS May 2017 eNews

What a wonderful week May 8th was. Graduation week is one of the campus’ busiest and most exciting of the year – the time when thousands of students graduate and their friends, family members and faculty are on campus to support them. Learn more

The School of Public Health and Health Sciences held its Senior Recognition Ceremony on Saturday, May 13, 2017 in the UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center. The SPHHS ceremony recognized its undergraduate Class of 2017, which this year welcomed 681 graduating seniors into its ranks. Learn more

UMass Amherst named Public Health Sciences senior Meghan Berry among this year's 21st Century Leaders. The university honors a group of graduating seniors each year for their exemplary achievement, initiative and leadership during the Undergraduate Commencement.Learn more

Assistant Professor of Biostatistics Leontine Alkema has received a 3-year, $1.4 million Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant to explore and analyze family planning indicators in 69 countries to develop new methods and tools to monitor and advance reproductive health. Learn more

Epidemiology doctoral candidate Alexandra Purdue-Smithe and her advisor Professor Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson found that high intake of dietary vitamin D and calcium may be modestly associated with lower risk of early menopause. Learn more

Sara J. Hickey, a senior majoring in public health, legal studies and French, was honored May 5 at the State House during the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education’s “29 Who Shine” ceremony saluting public campus graduates for their civic and academic achievements. Learn more

Kinesiology lecturer Eliza Frechette is the recipient of the 2016-17 College Outstanding Teacher Award. The award, sponsored by the UMass Amherst Provost’s Office and the Center for Teaching & Faculty Development, honors individual faculty members for their teaching accomplishments. Learn more

Amber Hromi-Fiedler, Instructor in the Online MPH in Nutrition program, is the recipient of the 2016-17 SPHHS Outstanding Online Teacher Award. The award, which is given annually by the School, recognizes excellence in online teaching. Learn more

Associate Professor of Kinesiology Brian Umberger is among a team of UMass Amherst faculty granted an award from the university's Armstrong Fund for Science. They are working on a project titled “Creation of a 3D motion freezer to understand human and animal locomotion.” Learn more

Assistant Professor Krystal Pollitt and Partners for a Healthier Community received a Center for Research on Families and the Healthy Development Initiative pilot grant on a project aimed to reduce exposure to triggers of asthma. Learn more

Community Health Education faculty member Louis Graham speaks about his research examining how complex relationships with family, friends, and romantic and sexual partners can serve as both sources of support and stress, particularly among members of marginalized communities. Learn more

The Society of Toxicology recently honored Kari Sant, a postdoctoral research associate in Environmental Health Sciences, with the Edward W. Carney Trainee Award. The award is meant to “encourage education and training in reproductive and developmental toxicology.” Learn more

The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology awarded Nutrition doctoral student Sharmin Hossain a Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Travel Award. MARC awards promote the entry of students from underrepresented groups into the science community. Learn more

Kinesiology graduate students Katherine Hayes and Corinna Serviente recently received awards from the American Kinesiology Association. Hayes received the Doctoral Scholar Award and Serviente the Graduate Student Writing Award. Learn more

The Center for Research on Families has awarded Community Health Education doctoral student Sarah Lowe a $10,000 pre-dissertation fellowship. Environmental Health Sciences doctoral student Haotian Wu received the CRF Dissertation Award, and Public Health Sciences major Durga Kolla received the Thesis Capstone Award. Learn more

Kinesiology doctoral student Brittany Masteller recently received a SOAR fund award, which is given by the UMass Amherst Libraries to pay the fees for submitting an article to an open access journal. Learn more

Ten SPHHS students representing all four undergraduate majors received Alumni Association Awards this spring. The awards were distributed based on outstanding academic achievements, leadership, and community service. Learn more

Health Policy and Management alumna Jing Hao, MPH ’09, PhD ’15, recently received the 2017 Early Career Investigator Award from the Health Care Systems Research Network and the 2016 Volunteer Award from the Chinese Health Policy Analysis and Management Society. Learn more

In a commentary published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Nutrition doctoral student Bi-Sek Hsiao urged residents in the towns of Cummington and Plainfield, MA, to ratify town resolutions to become pollinator-friendly communities. Learn more

The Department of Kinesiology will host its annual alumni reception during the 64th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Denver. The reception will be held from 7:00-9:00 pm on May 31st in the Granite Room of the Hyatt Regency at the Colorado Convention Center. Learn more